August 12, 2026: The Day EU Packaging Rules Changed
As of August 12, 2026, the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation — Regulation (EU) 2025/40, the "PPWR" — becomes applicable across the Union. It entered into force on 11 February 2025, and after an 18-month transition, the core obligations are now live.

The PPWR is not another incremental directive. It rewrites the rules for everything that touches a product: recyclability-by-design, mandatory recycled content, and — critically for the foodservice industry — strict limits on substances of concern in packaging, including PFAS, total fluorine, bisphenols, and heavy metals.

For European importers, brand owners, and foodservice supply chains, the question has shifted from "is this packaging recyclable?" to a far more consequential one: "can you prove, with laboratory data, that your packaging complies with the PPWR's chemical restrictions?"

What the PPWR Actually Requires (Chemically)
Under the PPWR's substance-of-concern framework, food-contact packaging entering the EU must demonstrate conformity with a series of chemical restrictions. In practice, this means verifying:

Total fluorine / PFAS limits — the umbrella measure targeting "forever chemicals" in packaging.
Restricted per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances under REACH (including long-chain PFCAs and PFHxA) and the EU POPs Regulation (PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS).
Bisphenol A (BPA) under REACH Annex XVII.
Phthalates under REACH entries 51/52.
The burden of proof sits with the economic operator placing packaging on the EU market. Claims without test data are exactly that — claims. Customs authorities, market surveillance bodies, and increasingly sophisticated retailers are asking for the report.

The Evidence: SGS Report QDHL260600954101CW
This is where the conversation changes. Mountain Environmental's bagasse coated tray (BAGASSE COATED TRAY) has been tested against the full suite of EU chemical restrictions by SGS — one of the world's most recognized testing and certification bodies. The report, QDHL260600954101CW, issued 2 July 2026, returned Pass on every applicable parameter:

Restriction Legal Basis Result
Bisphenol A (BPA) REACH Annex XVII, entry 66 Pass (ND)
C9–C14 PFCAs (perfluorocarboxylic acids) REACH Article 68 Pass (ND) — limit 25 µg/kg
PFHxA REACH Article 79 Pass (ND) — limit 25 µg/kg
Phthalates REACH entries 51/52 Pass
PFHxS EU POPs Regulation (EU) 2023/1608 Pass
PFOA / PFOS EU POPs Regulation (EU) 2025/718 Pass
Total fluorine content PPWR (EU) 2025/40, Article 5(5) Pass
Full PFAS scan (725 substances) Comprehensive screening All Non-Detected
All results as stated in SGS report QDHL260600954101CW (issued 2 July 2026).

One Report, Full Coverage — Why This Matters to Your Compliance Team
The strategic value of this report is its scope. Rather than assembling a patchwork of certificates from different laboratories on different dates, a single SGS report now covers the entire chemical-restriction surface of the PPWR for this product:

PFAS coverage at every level: the 725-substance full scan, plus the specific REACH restrictions (C9-C14 PFCAs, PFHxA) and the POPs entries (PFOA/PFOS, PFHxS) — all Non-Detected.
The PPWR's own total-fluorine requirement under Article 5(5): Pass.
BPA and phthalates under REACH Annex XVII: Pass.
For a compliance officer, this is exactly the kind of document that survives scrutiny: a named report number, a clear issue date, a defined sample (bagasse coated tray), and unambiguous Pass/ND results on every row.

Beyond Compliance: What the Report Doesn't Say (Yet)
A few points of precision, because the EU market rewards accuracy:

This report covers chemical compliance for the bagasse coated tray. It is one component of full PPWR conformity, which also includes recyclability, labelling, and extended producer responsibility obligations that apply at the packaging level.
The tested product is a coated (laminated) bagasse tray, which qualifies as low-plastic compliant packaging: the functional coating is engineered to keep total plastic content below 5%, allowing classification as fiber-based packaging under EU tax and regulatory frameworks. Our non-coated bagasse tableware is made of 100% bagasse fiber with no plastic content.
Report QDHL260600954101CW covers the specific sample and configuration tested. New product variants should be re-verified accordingly.
What European Buyers Should Do Now
The PPWR is applicable as of today's date. For buyers and brand owners sourcing foodservice packaging:

Ask for the laboratory report, not a summary. Request the named report number and verify the sample description matches the product you are buying.
Check the coverage. Does the report address total fluorine (PPWR Article 5(5)) and the REACH/POPs PFAS entries and BPA and phthalates? Partial coverage is partial risk.
Verify origin and traceability. Confirm the manufacturing site and batch traceability behind the tested sample.
At Mountain Environmental, the SGS evidence is available with the samples. Our manufacturing network — spanning China and our strategic Cambodia facility — delivers certified, traceable, high-barrier fiber-based packaging with the documentation European importers now need at entry.

Ready to review the report for your compliance file? Request the SGS report QDHL260600954101CW alongside product samples at www.mountain-bio.com — your EU market entry starts with evidence, not promises.